Desserts to Die For
by rt.thatcher
Summary: AU - Dean owns a dessert shop in Palo Alto. One day a strange new customer catches his attention.
1. Chapter 1

_Just some random little story that popped into my head. _

_Enjoy._

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There was nothing Dean Winchester loved more than baking a good pie. His mother had taught him how to bake when he was just 8 years old. Dean had always been close to his mother, spending most of his free time at home with her in the kitchen. His family had moved around a lot, meaning Dean never got the chance to make proper friends; which lead to him spending more time at home than other boys his age.

After his mother died, baking was probably one of the only things that got him to smile. Which was one of the two main reasons he opened up _Desserts to Die For_, his very own bakery, in a quaint small business section of Palo Alto.

The second reason was his little brother Samuel, affectionately referred to as Sam or Sammy most of the time. Sam was a student at Stanford University and Dean was responsible for half of the schools $50,000 tuition. Luckily, after Sam's many scholarships and awards the final price wasn't quite as daunting.

He had followed Sam out to sunny California after their fathers traveling salesmen business went under and John was no longer able to support Sam's education. It had taken months of persuasion before John finally listened to Dean and let him go after his brother.

Dean regarded this as the best decision he had ever made, although he did occasionally feel a pang of regret for leaving his widower father in the middle of nowhere Kansas. He would call occasionally to check on him, having chats about life and whatever else came up. The last time he checked on his father, Dean was surprised and somewhat relieved to find that he had moved and gotten a job at a small saloon in Nebraska.

Dean enjoyed his life in California; he had a few customers that quickly become friends and a few relationships that had come and gone, but over all he had nothing to complain about. He was happy.

In the middle of October, half way through a particularly busy, and incredibly stressful day there was nothing Dean wanted more than to tell every patron in his shop to get the hell out so he could go home and relax.

As an exceptionally picky customer seemed to take ages to decide on a pie, Dean took a moment to run through all of the things that had gone wrong over the course of the day.

To begin, his alarm never went off. He awoke groggily at 7:30, an hour after he was supposed to open the shop.

He jumped out of bed, pulled on whatever clothing was lying on his floor and ran like hell to his car. Just as he was about to yank open his front door the small flashing light of his answering machine caught his eye. There was a moment of hesitation before he rushed over and hit play. It was the scratchy voice of his assistant, Gabriel, calling to say he wasn't going to be able to come into work due to a sudden illness. Dean ran his hand through his hair and swore; he hated working alone.

As he pulled up to his shop, he jumped out of his car, barely remembering to grab the keys out of the ignition before slamming the door shut. Shouting an apology at his baby he wrenched the back door open and immediately started pre-heating ovens for the day.

Luckily, Dean observed, no one was waiting outside the shop. He signed in relief as he grabbed his apron off the counter. His moment of peace was soon cut short as he noticed a lack of heat coming from the main oven in the back.

He groaned, when he bought the place the previous owner warned that the oven was on its way out, but Dean had never taken the warning to heart. It had worked for three years until about the middle of last week. The thing had finally given out and Dean had to call a repairman. Unfortunately the repairman said the next time the oven failed, it would be time for a new one, and Dean just couldn't afford that.

Signing he stalked to the front of the store and flipped the sign from 'closed' to 'open', hoping no one would come in for a while. He wandered back behind the counter and started making the days pies and other desserts.

Around noon the first customer walked in, a friend of Deans and a regular, a young college student named Alfie. They chatted about the oven failure and other little things before Alfie left for his shift at some fast food restaurant. About half an hour later, the shop started filling up with the afternoon rush. It was much bigger rush than usual…

Dean was pulled out of his daydream as the finicky customer finally decided on a dark chocolate cream pie. He pulled the pie from the case and wrapped it for the woman. She paid, smiled and left. Leaving Dean to wait on the next customer in line, a man with dark hair and a tan trench coat who seemed to be having a daydream of his own; he wasn't paying any attention to the baker in front of him.

"Hey!" Dean called out to the man. When there was no response he tried again. "Dude, you're next." When the dark haired man still didn't respond, Dean gestured to the woman behind him.

"Ma'am, could you just nudge him or something?" He asked with a heavy sign. The woman rolled her eyes and gently shoved the man forward. His eyes snapped up towards the counter immediately.

Dean beckoned him forward with a little wave. "Been callin' you forever. What's the matter? Ya deaf?" When the man didn't respond Dean sighed again. "Alright, what can I get you?" He asked with a somewhat forced smile.

The man glanced down at the display counter for a minute before turning back to Dean with a smile. He pointed towards a freshly baked cherry-rhubarb pie.

"Good choice." Dean mumbled while pulling the pie out from the display and placing it on the counter. "Do you want a slice or the whole pie?" The man positioned his hands into a large circle and looked up at Dean with raised eyebrows.

"Whole. Got it. Just give me a minute to wrap it. It'll be $8.50" He called as he rushed off towards the back of the shop to look for a box. He came back a second later to find the pie gone and a 10-dollar bill in its place.

"Did he just take the pie and walk out?" Dean asked the woman now standing at the counter.

"Wasn't paying attention" she replied. "But I know what I want" She added.

"Oh, Right. What'll it be?" he questioned, as he placed the bill in the cash register. As he closed the drawer a small, scribbled 'Thanks' in the upper corner of the bill caught his eye. For some unknown reason Dean found himself fondly thinking of the strange man in the tan trench coat for the rest of the day.

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_Well I hoped you enjoyed. _

_Comments and critiques are welcomed and enjoyed. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Enjoy!_

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As the week came to an end and Dean sauntered up to the front of the store to flip the sign hanging in the window to "Close" he found himself still stuck on the thought of the mysteriously mute stranger. He told Gabriel about him and the assistant just seemed to dismiss the encounter as random happenstance, suggesting that Dean probably won't see him again.

Something about this statement upset Dean in the slightest way, he just doesn't understand why.

About two weeks after the original occurrence, on a very slow day in the middle of the week, the strange man comes around once again. Dean doesn't see him at first; he's in the back still trying to fix the oven. However, Gabriel spots the man and assumes it has to be the one Dean mentioned.

The man walks up the counter and begins to look at the pie selection.

"What can I do for you?" Gabe asked with a smile, trying to catch the mans attention. When the man doesn't reply, he simply shrugged and waited for him to order.

The man returned his gaze to Gabriel and smiled, pointing to a cherry pie. "Great" Gabe replied, pulling the pie form the case. "One of my personal favorites. That'll be $8.50" He turned to get a box, only to realize there were none. Sighing he called back to Dean. "Hey! Dean-o! How about some boxes up here?"

"Come get them yourself!" Dean yelled back.

'Dean, you're going to be happy you brought me the damn boxes!"

"Fine! Give me a minute!"

"It'll just be a second" Gabe replied to the man. The man doesn't smile but instead looks past him with a cocked eyebrow. As Dean emerges from the back with a stack of boxes, the man looks at the boxes and frowns. He hands a box to his assistant and smiles warmly at the customer.

"Hey! It's you. Glad to see you back. Did you enjoy the cherry-rhubarb?" Dean asked, leaning on the counter. He frowns as the man starts to shake his head no. "Oh" he could feel his heart drop in a very peculiar way. "Well I hope this one will be better."

The man continued to shake his head no, now pointing over at Gabriel. Dean turned to look at Gabe; he doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong, just boxing up the pie.

"Hey Gabe, wait a second." Dean mumbled turning back to the man. "Did he grab the wrong thing?" He asked. The man shakes his head no once more. Instead of correcting Dean, he positions his fingers into a triangle and raises his eyebrows; similar to the first time he was in the shop.

"Oooh." Dean realized. "Hey, he only wants a slice." He stated, turning around to face Gabriel.

"My bad" Gabe responded, pulling the pie back out of the container and cutting a slice. The man takes the pie from him with a smile and a curt nod. He headed off towards one of the small tables positioned around the shop.

"Bit of a weirdo huh?" Gabriel mused, placing the rest of the pie back in the case.

"Hey now. Be nice." Dean scolds. "Something about him just seems…more interesting than weird to me" He tried to explain.

"Well then why don't you see if you can get some info out of Mr. Mysterious over there" Gabe responded. "You know if he's so interesting and all" There's a sarcasm in his voice Dean has just learned to brush off. He returned the comments with a slight glare as he walked around the counter towards the patron.

"Liking the pie?" he tried.

Dean felt his smile falter as he placed his hands in his pockets and patiently waited for an answer. When the man didn't respond but keeps eating his pie, Dean sighs and taps him on the shoulder. The man jumped slightly and glanced up with a look of perplexity on his face. Dean cocked an eyebrow and sat down across from the man.

"Mind if I sit here?" He asked. The man shook his head no and went straight back to his dessert.

"Dean" He tried, holding out his hand across the table. The man glanced at his hand in confusion before he took it with a small smile; Dean is surprised at the strength of his handshake, it's firm and reassuring. The man pulled his hand back, rather quickly, and goes back to eating once more.

"Do I get a name?" Dean rolled his eyes at the silence he received as an answer. He waits for another awkward minute before standing. "Alright, uh, good chat" he mumbled as he walks back behind the counter. The man doesn't seem to notice.

"That was the most painful thing I've ever witnessed in my life" Gabriel smirked.

"Oh shut up." Dean retorts. "Don't you have something better to be doing than gawking at my customers? Like maybe fixing my oven?"

"You're just mad because your famous Winchester charm isn't working." Gabe responded, making his way to the back of the shop. "I'm your assistant! Not your mechanic!"

Dean let out an annoyed breath and leaned on the counter, just in time to see the man bring his plate up and pay. Dean gives him another smile. "You know I never got that name." The man returns the smile and taps the bill on the counter, with a wink.

Dean stared in confusion before picking up the bill and flipping it over. Written in the same corner as the first word of gratitude, is a single word: "Castiel"

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_I'm sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the last. Hopefully you all still like it. _

_As always comments and critiques are more than welcomed. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Enjoy! (__Again)_

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"Sooooo" Gabe started. It had been about a week since Dean had told Gabriel he knew the mute mans name, and accidentally, accidentally in this case meant having one too many beers and blabbing about it in the middle of a bar, let slip he was looking forward to seeing him again. Ever since then Gabriel had take every opportunity available to tease him about it. "How's my brother doing?"

"I...What?" Dean cringed. "He's...what?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance, he hated it when a good joke went under-appreciated. "You know Castiel and Gabriel. Both angels...brothers?" He tried to explain. "Didn't you go to a catholic school?"

"That was for a month in 6th grade!" Dean protested. "If you must know though, he hasn't stopped by in a while." He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

"No need to get defensive, I'm just giving you a bad time." Gabriel grinned as he hopped up on the counter. "Sounds like you got some sour grapes there Dean-O. Got something you want to talk about?"

"Not with you" Dean shot back.

"That hurts Dean. It really does" He responded knitting his brow together in faux pain.

"Good. Now, get off the counter would you? Food goes there."

"Come _oooon_. It's what? An hour to closing? No one's coming in, what am I supposed to be doing?"

"Prepping for tomorrow?" Dean suggested with a sly grin.

Just as Gabriel was about to shoot off another sarcastic remark, the phone rang. He leaned across the counter and picked it up. "Desserts To Die For" He sang into the receiver. "What can I do for you?" A few 'hmms' and 'ohhs' later he handed the phone over to Dean. "It's your brother."

Dean snatched the phone from his assistant and motioned towards the back of the store. "Get" He mouthed before bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey Sammy" He smiled, it was always nice to hear from him.

An hour later they were still on the phone. "I'm telling you Sam, he just won't talk to me. Or anyone else for that matter." Dean sighed. His brother on the other end struggled to wrap his head around the fact that Dean had somehow formed an attraction, one that Dean had spent the better half of the conversation denying, to someone he had never had a real conversation with.

"Well..." Sam tried. "What does Gabriel think?"

"He thinks that I shouldn't be so interested in him." Dean rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair in annoyance.

"Well, then, there you go. You should listen to Gabe more, he's a smart guy"

"Oh shut up Sammy, just because you have a little man crush on my assistant doesn't mean you have to agree with everything he says." Dean teased. When Sam sputtered in response he let a huge grin break across his face. "Point and case"

"Hey! I heard that!" Gabriel called from the back.

"Oh yeah? Got anything you'd like to say to him?" Dean asked. When he was met with silence he added, with a laugh, "Yeah that's what I thought!"

There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Alright Dean, I have to go, huge test in the morning."

"Yeah, 'bout time for me to batten down the hatches. I'll talk to you later." Dean hung up the phone and pulled his apron off, throwing it across the counter.

"Well that was a _lovely _conversation" Gabriel said, walking up to the counter. "Tell me more about Sam's little crush." He insisted with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Dean smiled and gave Gabriel a playful shove. "Maybe tomorrow. Now get out and go home."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you lock up?" Gabe asked as he inched towards the back exit. He would stay if Dean wanted the help but really, _really_ didn't want to.

"Yeah I'm sure, It's been a _looooooong_ day" Dean called, he turned to tell Gabriel something else but instead was greeted by an empty space. He shook his head and began whipping down the small tables and stacking the chairs.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Sorry, we're clo-" Dean looked up with a mock apologetic expression. However, it wasn't just any late night patron seeking to satisfy a sweet tooth, it was Castiel.

"Oh…Um." He mumbled as he looked around the empty shop. The ovens were shut off, shades were drawn, and the tables were on their way to being fully cleaned and stacked. For some reason, completely unknown to him, Dean unlocked the door and let the man in.

"So…what can I get you?" Dean asked as he stifled back a yawn. "I should warn you, nothing's going to be fresh, and I'm sort of supposed to be closing up…" He trailed off as the man brushed past him and glanced at the counter. He turned and gazed back at Dean, as if telling him he was ready to order.

Dean stalked back to the counter and asked him what he wanted. Castiel in turn pointed at a Dutch apple pie and once more held his hands in a circle.

Dean narrowed his eyes as he pulled the pie from the case and wrapped it. However, instead of handing it off to the man, he placed it on the shelf behind him. "Okay," he started. "You get the pie for free if you answer my next couple questions."

Castiel cocked his head to the side in confusion; Dean took this as a sign of agreement so he continued. "What's with this mute stuff? Do you just not like talking? Are you shy? Got a girls voice? I mean I just kinda want to know. Curiosity killed the cat and all that jazz" He had a sudden realization and started on a new course of questions. "Is it because you think I'll make fun of you or something? I mean I like to think I'm a pretty good guy and that I wouldn't-" He was cut off by a soft pounding on the counter. He looked down and saw Castiel slip his hand from the glass and shove it in his coat. Dean craned his neck and saw him fishing in his pockets for something.

The man let out a visible sigh and gave the baker a new look, a mix of annoyance and anger.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Man, I'm sorry, it's really none of my business anyway." He murmured before he reached back and grabbed the pie off the shelf. "On the house" He added weakly.

Castiel gave up his search and instead pulled a bill from his coat and placed it on the counter.

"Nope. I said on the house" Dean sighed. He then noticed the man had also pulled a pen out with the money. He scribbled something down before he grabbed the pie and marched out the door.

Dean groaned and snatched the bill from the counter. Scribbled in the corner was a longer note than usual. "Tip. Tomorrow: Same time."

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_If you're having a deja-vu moment it's because I uploaded the wrong version of this chapter a little while ago. This is the one that was originally supposed to be uploaded. Hopefully it doesn't confuse anyone._

_ I promise next chapter will be longer and answer (some of) your questions. (Hopefully)_

_Until then, comments and critiques are welcomed and loved. _


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